Childhood Innocence
by Psychotic Female of Many Names
Summary: All Human. AU. Esme Platt is the adoptive mother to four-year-old twins Edward and Emmett. She never had anyone to be there for her since her sister died. Then she meets a wonderful, blonde-haired stranger in the park who says the perfect thing.
1. Chapter 1

**Childhood Innocence**

_by Psychotic_

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

* * *

I sat on the small park bench, my eyes watching the children play

I sat on the small park bench, my eyes watching the children play. I missed that so much: the childish innocence, the feeling of everything being so big, thinking that this would forever be how it would be.

I would never be able to have a child of my own, to watch them grow up as they discovered more and more of the world, to be a mother to them. I had children, but those weren't mine; they hadn't come from me. They had been adopted. My sister's doctor discovered cancer in her brain and there wasn't anything they could do. My sister had asked me to take her twins, Edward and Emmett, as she had had no husband, and I had agreed. I did, after all, love them very much.

Both of the boys were four, and I was twenty-six. My sister had been my twin, as well. Twins ran in the family, apparently. She had died three years before, and the boys barely remembered their real mother. I was "mommy" to them, and I always would be.

But again, they hadn't come from me. They had come from my sister.

When I was nineteen, I had accidentally gotten pregnant by my long-time boyfriend, Charles. The baby had been conceived in my fallopian tube, however, and I got very sick. I was admitted to the hospital, and during surgery, my tube burst. In order to save my life, they had to remove my whole reproductive system. I could never have my own children.

A little bronze-haired boy ran up, his emerald eyes sparkling. Another boy, bigger and with darker hair, followed. "Mommy, Mommy!" the first boy exclaimed.

"Yes, Edward?"

"I found a new friend! His name is Jasper and he has a twin sister named Rosalie! They're twins just like me and Em!"

I laughed. "Yes, they are, aren't they?"

Edward pulled on my hand. "Come on, Mommy! Come meet them!"

I stood up and followed him over to where two little blonde children were playing. "Jasper, Rose! This is my mommy!"

The little boy stood up and shook my hand, saying, "It's nice to meet you, ma'am." I smiled at him, trying not to laugh.

"It's nice to meet you, too. You must be Jasper."

"Hi, Mrs. Edward and Emmett's Mommy!" the little girl exclaimed, waving. I could tell she would grow up to be such a beauty.

"Hello," I greeted. "And you should be Rosalie."

The two blondes grinned at the fact that I had recognized them.

"I'm going to go sit back down, alright kids? You have fun. Come and get me if you need anything." They all nodded, going back to playing.

I sat back down on the small park bench, my eyes watching the children play. I missed being a child. I wanted to be able to have fun and laugh and play around. I did that with the boys, but… it wasn't the same.

I didn't realize that I had started crying until someone sat down next to me and put an arm around my shoulders. A honey voice said, "Why are you crying?"

I looked up with teary eyes and into the blue depths of the man's. He was gorgeous. Perfect, sun-kissed blonde hair waved down to his ears. His skin was pale, but it wasn't anything next to mine. He had sharp features at first glance, but the lines were softer when I studied them. He was smiling at me, his teeth beautifully white. He could have been a movie star.

"I… I'm not sure."

He squeezed my shoulders. "Well, why don't you just let it all out? I'm right here."

It was that one statement that caused me to break down into sobs against his chest. In the last three years, it hadn't felt like anyone had been there for me. My sister had died, and I had to be strong for the twins. I was all alone, and no one was around to help me out. Then this man, this total stranger, comes up and says that he's there. It was the best thing anyone could have said to me.

It was a bit longer before I surfaced, sniffling and done crying. He handed me a handkerchief – a handkerchief! Who carries those anymore? – and I wiped my face dry. "Thank you," I murmured.

"You're welcome. It wasn't any problem. I'm Carlisle, by the way. Carlisle Cullen."

I smiled weakly at him. "I'm Esme Platt. It's nice to meet you. I appreciate you letting me cry all over your shirt. Now it's all wet."

Carlisle chuckled. "That's alright. I don't mind."

Emmett and Edward came running up then, jumping into my lap. "Mommy!" Emmett said. "Are you okay? You were crying!"

I hugged them and answered, "I'm fine, boys. Meet Carlisle. He helped me feel better."

"Hello, Mr. Carlisle," the boys said in unison. Carlisle smiled.

"Hello. It's nice to meet you…"

"Edward and Emmett," Edward said, pointing to himself then Emmett.

"Edward and Emmett." Carlisle shook each of their hands politely. I knew the boys liked it. They enjoyed feeling like adults. I, on the other hand, still wished I was a child.

"Daddy!"

I looked over to see Rosalie and Jasper running to Carlisle. He stood and scooped them up in his arms. "You met Mrs. Edward and Emmett's Mommy."

"Ms.," I corrected. "I'm not married." I felt the need to add that in for Carlisle's sake. "Who's their mother? She must be beautiful."

"She was," Carlisle said. "She ran out on me, though, and left me with these two monsters." He tickled the twins, who shrieked in laughter. I smiled, but quickly turned it into a frown, remembering Carlisle's explanation.

"I'm sorry about that," I said.

Carlisle shrugged. "Don't worry about it. We weren't in love, but we thought we were. I realized that it wasn't real as soon as she left."

"Oh."

"And who was their father?"

"Oh, um… I'm not sure. They were my sister's babies, but she died from cancer when they were one, so I took them in."

"I'm so sorry." He looked genuinely sympathetic for me, and I smiled in response.

"It's alright. I love these two. I don't know what I'd do without them." And it was completely true.

"Daddy, I wanna go home…" Rosalie whined.

Carlisle sighed. "Alright, alright, I'll take you home… Let's get going, kids. Esme, can I… maybe have your number?"

I smiled happily. Carlisle Cullen, the gorgeous man with the gorgeous twins, wanted my phone number! I pulled out a slip of paper from my purse and wrote my cell and home number down on it, labeling each. I handed it to him.

"I'll call you soon," he promised before walking off with Jasper and Rosalie.

I watched them go for a moment before I felt a tugging on my skirt. Edward was there. "Mommy, let's go, let's go! I wanna play a game before I have to go to sleep!"

Smiling, I stood up, grabbing one of the twin's hands in each of mine. I loved these two so much. If they weren't there, I probably would have killed myself years ago.

* * *

**A/N: **It is undetermined as to whether this will be a oneshot or not. If I get enough feedback asking me to continue it, then I just might. I would really appreciate reviews, considering I worked very hard on this. I'm proud of it.

_Psychotic Female of Many Names_

_08.25.08_


	2. Chapter 2

**Childhood Innocence**

_by Psychotic_

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

* * *

The macaroni on the stove was boiling over, Edward was crying because Emmett had hit him, and Emmett had gotten Silly Putty in the carpet.

It was times like these that I wished I was still young the most.

"Mommy!" Edward wailed, gripping onto my leg with strength I hadn't thought four-year-olds were capable of. "Emmett keeps being mean to me!"

I sighed and turned down the macaroni, stirring it quickly before I scooped Edward into my arms. "I'm sorry, Edward," I told him, brushing away his tears. "Let's go tell Emmett off, alright? Don't yell at him, though."

Edward nodded, fisting his little hands and rubbing at his eyes. I smiled a bit and walked into the next room, where I saw the other twin tossing Hot Wheels up into the car and trying to catch them. The Silly Putty was still stuck in the carpet. "Mommy!" Emmett exclaimed. "Edward tried to steal my cars!"

"Oh, did he? And what did you do about it?"

Emmett puffed out his chest proudly. "I hit him!"

I kneeled down to his level, Edward still in my arms. "Emmett," I said firmly. "What have I told you about hitting? Just because someone else was being mean to you doesn't make it right for you to hit them."

"I know…" Emmett pouted. "But he was -- !"

"I don't care what he was doing. Hitting is wrong. Don't use violence, Emmett. And you have to share with your brother. Alright?"

"Fine…"

"Thank you."

Right as we established that agreement, the phone began to ring. I sighed and stood up, grabbing the receiver. "Hello?"

"_Esme?"_

"Yes, this is her."

"_Esme, it's Carlisle."_

My eyes widened. Before I could answer, Edward pulled at my sleeve. "Mommy, the mac 'n' cheese! I'm hungry!"

I nodded and went over to the pot, setting Edward down so that I could drain it. "Carlisle, hi! It's so nice to hear from you."

"_Was I interrupting anything? It sounds like you're making dinner." _I could hear his laugh on the other end.

"Well, I am. But it's only macaroni and cheese. What did you call for?"

"_To talk to you. And to ask if you and the twins would like to come over to our house tomorrow afternoon. You could stay and have dinner, too, if you'd like."_

"Oh, I'd love to! Just give me a minute to ask the boys." I put down the receiver and called into the other room – where Edward had already gone back to. "Would you two like to go to Jasper and Rosalie's house tomorrow?"

I got a chorus of cheers and agreements. I laughed and picked up the phone again. "We'd love to come over."

"_Great! How does… two o'clock sound?"_

I nodded, and then remembered that he couldn't see me – _stupid_. "Two sounds wonderful. What's your address?" He quickly gave it to me, and I wrote it down on a Post-It. "We'll be over at two."

"_I'll see you tomorrow, Esme."_

"Yes. Goodbye!" I hung up the phone and sighed, a smile on my face. That man made me feel… happy. He made me feel like I was a kid again, and I was so grateful.

I quickly turned back to the food and added the cheese, butter, and milk. "Boys! Dinner!"

* * *

It was already two-fifteen, and I had yet to get the boys dressed. I groaned, pulling at my hair, before taking a deep breath. "Okay, boys," I said dangerously. "If you don't stop goofing off and let me help you get dressed, we will never get to go over to Jasper and Rosalie's house again!"

This got them to freeze. I sighed in relief and managed to get them looking decent in just ten minutes. "Boys, shoes," I told them. They ran towards the front door. "And hurry! We're already late!" I pulled on my own shoes and picked up my car keys.

When I got to where the twins were, they were already in their tennis shoes and jumping up and down excitedly. "Let's go, Mommy!" Emmett exclaimed, grabbing my hand and tugging. I laughed and allowed him to drag me outside. I quickly locked the door behind me and made sure that I had both children. They were there, but just barely. They were tumbling around the corner, hurrying to the building's front door and out to the car.

I followed, but at a much slower pace. They were getting impatient when I finally reached them. I quickly buckled them into their car seats and got in myself. We were out of the parking lot in no time.

The area that Carlisle lived in was very well-off. The houses were nearly mansion-sized and everything was perfect: the lawns were deep green, the water in the fountains was clear, the flowers along the walkways were blooming. I took a deep breath, feeling slightly intimidated, as I pulled into the driveway of a beautiful house.

I got the boys out and we went to the front door. I rang the doorbell and there were shouts and multiple people yelling that they would get it. A moment later, the door swung open to reveal the tiniest little girl, her hair pulled into small pigtails. "You must be Ms. Platt," she said in a surprisingly clear and intelligent voice.

I nodded. "Yes, I am. And you are?"

"I'm Alice Brandon," she said matter-of-factly. "And I'm here to play with Rosey. We're designing outfits."

"Ah, I see," I said with a smile. Alice was so adorable. "Well, this is Emmett and Edward. Boys, this is Alice."

"Hi, Alice!" Emmett said enthusiastically.

Alice waved back frantically. "Hi, Emmett! It's nice to meet you! You want to come play with me and Rosey?" Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed his wrist and pulled him inside and out of view.

"Well, she seems to have taken a liking to him," a honey voice said. I looked up to see Carlisle there with a grin. I returned it happily.

"Yes, she has," I agreed. "Why don't you go with, Edward?"

He shook his head, gripping tightly onto my leg. "Uh-uh, Mommy. Alice kinda scares me."

Carlisle and I laughed. "She scares Bella, too," Carlisle stated. "Oh, you haven't met Bella yet. Her and her parents are over, as well. Alice's would be here, too, but they had a meeting to go to and asked me to watch Alice for them."

He led us inside and through a glossy, glorious entry way. I looked around the house in awe, but it wasn't in a good way. Whoever had decorated this house had horrible taste. "Um, Carlisle?" I called. "No offense intended, but who decorated in here? It's... awful."

"I did," he said with a laugh. "I don't have the best eye for interior design."

"Oh, I see." We continued through one more room and into what I assumed was the family room. "You know, if you ever want me to, I'd love to redecorate in here."

Carlisle turned around to smile gratefully. "I would really appreciate that. Whenever you have time, just let me know. If I have work, I'll gladly give you a key or something so that you can get in."

I nodded and sat down on in a free chair, pulling Edward into my lap. He was gazing over at a little girl who looked about his age, sitting across from us in a woman's lap as well. The child was a beautiful brunette with wide eyes that matched the color of her hair.

"Hello," she said shyly, biting on her thumb lightly.

Edward smiled. "Hi," he greeted. "I'm Edward." He jumped down off my lap and walked over, holding out his hand for her to shake.

She shook his hand. "I'm Bella."

It was only a few more moments before they took off to find something to do. I laughed. "Bella and Edward have clicked," I stated. I turned to the couple across from me. "Hello, I'm Esme Platt. You must be Bella's parents."

"Yes," the woman said. "I'm Renee Swan, and this is my husband, Charlie. It's nice to meet you, Esme! By the way our kids acted, we'll probably be seeing a lot of each other." She laughed.

I giggled with her. "Yes, it seems so." I liked Renee. I could tell that we were going to be good friends.

"Charlie," I heard Carlisle say, "the women have become friends. We've been abandoned."

Charlie chuckled. "I guess we have! We'll have to survive on our own with our horrible cooking and taste."

Renee instantly turned to her husband. "Oh, no! You are not going to be surviving on your own. If you ever went off on your own, I doubt you'd 'survive' at all. You'd probably die from food poisoning within days."

I laughed. These people were wonderful. Our children seemed to get along well, too. That was even better. If I wasn't careful, I just might find myself feeling better about myself, and actually gaining friends!

* * *

**A/N: **I decided to continue this story. I figured I'd update it before I go back to school and start with the horror that is classes and homework. I hope you enjoyed this!

Review and be happy!

_Psychotic Female of Many Names_

_09.01.08_


	3. Chapter 3

**Childhood Innocence**

_by Psychotic_

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

* * *

We spent a long time at Carlisle's house. We ate dinner there, and stayed well past the children's bed times. Luckily, preschool wasn't the next morning for any of them, so we allowed them to stay up.

It was almost ten when the Swans decided they had to leave. Renee dragged Bella away from her new playmate and left not long after. I said goodbye and got their number so that Renee and I could talk and we could set up more playdates for the kids.

I turned to Carlisle, who was sitting on the loveseat, and smiled. "I think I'll stay just a bit longer, if that's alright?"

He nodded. "Of course! You're welcome to stay as long as you like. Alice will more than likely be spending the night and Emmett seems rather entertained by Rosalie."

I laughed, but was cut off by a gentle tugging on my pantleg. I looked down to see a sleepy Edward, yawning. I nearly melted and picked him up, cradling him in my lap. "Are you tired, Edward?"

"Yeah, Mommy." He yawned again.

"Well, go ahead and sleep then. I'll hold you." He nodded and closed his eyes, cuddling against my shoulder. It was only a few minutes before he was out.

I heard Carlisle chuckle and looked up. "You two are adorable together. That's great of you to hold him while he sleeps."

Blushing, I looked back down at my son. "Thank you," I said. "I love him, and just want him to be happy. He likes to sleep in my arms, and I'm not going to deny him that. It's not like he's interrupting anything; there's nothing to interrupt." I laughed quietly, almost bitterly.

I sometimes wished that I had someone. Someone to have something worth interrupting with. Someone whose arms _I_ could sleep in. It wasn't going to happen any time soon, though, I knew, and I had the boys to worry about. They were my life, and that wasn't about to change.

Emmett came down half an hour later, stumbling in his exhaustion. I laughed at him and picked him up in my other arm. I was lucky to have strong enough arms to do this. I said goodbye to Carlisle and carried my boys out to my car. I buckled them into their carseats and got in, starting the car and driving off.

My thoughts were consumed by the desire to have a romantic relationship. I knew that I couldn't do that to the boys, though. I didn't want to put them through the difficulty of watching their mother find the right man.

I tucked them into bed when we got home and hurried to bed myself. I fell asleep, feeling alone and cold, my own arms wrapped around me.

* * *

The twins had many playdates with the Swans over the next couple months. I wasn't able to catch Carlisle very often, though, because his work had become demanding. I had gotten news that Renee and Charlie were fighting a lot and had decided to get a divorce. Renee was moving to Phoenix, Arizona, with Bella, and Charlie was staying in Forks with us. I was devastated, but understood that this was for the better.

I said my goodbyes to Renee and Bella, and Edward cried over his best friend leaving. I felt horrible for him, and did my best to comfort him. Renee promised that Bella would visit. Then they were gone.

This left me with a hyper Emmett and a sad Edward. Work became busy for me and there were multiple times when I had to leave the boys home with a babysitter. Luckily, she was a friend and wasn't charging me very much; I didn't have much to spare.

I was able to plan a couple playdates for the boys with Jasper and Rosalie, and a few with Alice. Most of the time I was out of luck, though, and had to find ways to entertain them myselves. Edward preferred to sit around the house and watch TV or play on his own. Emmett, however, was very much in need of near-constant attention. I had found, however, that coloring books kept him busy for a long time.

Then I received more news that absolutely crushed me.

Carlisle had gotten offered a wonderful job at a hospital on the east coast. He had accepted, and was moving to Virginia with his twins.

The boys had just celebrated their fifth birthday, and I had baked a cake and invited Carlisle, Rosalie, Jasper, Alice, and Alice's parents. Edward and Emmett had enjoyed their party and the presents they got. It was just before everyone left that Carlisle told me.

He was going to be leaving in just a week.

That week flew by faster than I was able to comprehend. Before I knew it, the boys and I were standing in the airport with Carlisle and his twins, saying goodbye.

"Bye, Rosey," Emmett said sadly, hugging her tightly. "I'll miss you!"

Rosalie sniffed and hugged him back. "I'll miss you, too, Emmy! I promise that we'll see each other again, though, okay? Here. Have this." She held out a blonde-haired Barbie doll to him. "It's Jenny, my favorite Barbie. I want you to have her. Keep good care of her, 'kay?"

Emmett nodded, his eyes watery, and took the doll, holding it to his chest. I nearly broke down in tears at the sight.

"Esme," Carlisle said. "I'm so sorry about this. We'll miss you three greatly. I'll miss you especially, Esme. Stay happy for me, alright? I promise we'll come back."

I nodded and hugged him. "Thank you for being a friend, Carlisle," I told him. "I appreciate everything you've done for me. You're amazing. I'll miss you so much." I was crying now.

Carlisle nodded with a sad smile and then grabbed his children's hands. "Come on, kids," he said quietly. "Let's go. Say goodbye."

"Bye!" the two called, their faces miserable. "Goodbye," Carlisle said, waving. We watched as the three of them disappeared, one of the boys' hands in each of my own, gripping tightly.

* * *

_**Twelve Years Later...**_

"Mom! Mom! Mooooooom!"

"Emmett, be quiet! I'm coming!" I came down the stairs, still pulling my hair up into the loose bun I was planning on wearing that day. "What is it?"

My son grinned widely. It looked hilarious on such a huge man like him. He was already well over six feet tall and extremely muscular and strong. He worked out a lot. If I hadn't known better, I would've thought he was on steroids. I was proud of my boy, though. Despite his size and strength, he wasn't mean or a bully. He only beat on his twin, and that was only occasionally -- I usually stopped it. Emmett was really just a big teddybear at heart.

"Just wanted to say bye and that I love ya!"

I laughed and stepped forward to hug him. He squeezed back tightly, pulling me off the ground. "Thank you, Emmett," I replied. "I love you, too. Have a good day at school, and don't tease your brother too much."

He just laughed as he left the house. Edward came down the stairs then, his hair looking tousled, as usual. It looked good, though, also as usual. I smiled at him and hugged him lightly. He wasn't as big as his brother. He was much more thin and lean. Where Emmett seemed more the wrestler type, Edward was more of a track runner. He was shorter than his twin, with lighter hair and a much more serious disposition. He also preferred music -- playing the piano, usually -- to sports.

"Bye, Mom," he said, walking out the door. "Love you. I'll see you after school."

I heard their car start up and watched as they drove away from the house. In the last few years, I had managed to get a great-paying job as an interior decorator. It only took a few months before everyone in the Seattle area was requesting me to design and decorate their houses. I earned more than enough money to keep my family happy. For their sixteenth birthday, I had gotten Edward a silver Volvo and Emmett a huge, off-roading Jeep. Those were easy presents to afford with the money I had now.

When I got home from work early that afternoon, neither of the boys were home. I smiled; this was good. I could make them a surprise snack for when they returned. I hurried into the kitchen to make them something.

It was only an hour before I heard the Jeep pull in. Emmett had driven this morning. They came in the house and I stepped out into the entryway, saying, "Boys, you're home! I made you a snack. Oh, Alice! You came, too? Good!"

Alice smiled happily at me and bounded into the kitchen. She had grown to be a small, petite, fairy-like girl with short, spiked hair and fond of fashion. She was much shorter than I was, but held enough energy to fuel three spaceships to the moon and back.

"Hi, Esme!" she greeted. "Oh, cookie bars! Yum!" She picked one up and bit into it. "Mmm."

Emmett followed after her, taking four bars and sitting at the table. Edward only took two, but I knew he'd have more. The kids loved my cookie bars.

"So how was school?"

Emmett shrugged, his mouth full. "Nuffin' intestin' 'appened."

"Emmett. Don't chew with your mouth full."

He swallowed. "Sorry, Mom. Nothing interesting happened. It never does."

Edward said the same thing. "No, nothing."

Alice seemed to have something to say, though. "Oh, I heard something!" she exclaimed. Instantly, all eyes and ears were on her. "Apparently, there's some new kids coming to Forks! They're both blonde and I want to say twins, too. I saw them coming."

At this point, Alice's visions weren't odd to us anymore. She often saw extremely accurate scenes of what was going to happen in the future. She told us that they changed sometimes, though, depending on what the person decided.

"Do you know their names?" Edward asked.

"Are either of them girls?" was Emmett's question.

"No names," Alice stated. "And one's a girl. She's really pretty. She's probably a model."

Emmett grinned and punched the air. "Yes!" he yelled.

"Emmett!"

He shrunk back into his seat. "Sorry, Mom. But a hot girl!"

I rolled my eyes. "I know, Emmett. Just don't get too excited. I don't want you to scare her off." Knowing Emmett, that was entirely possible.

"He won't," Alice said matter-of-factly.

I gave her a look and she smiled apologetically. "Do you know when they're coming?" I asked her after a moment.

"Tonight. We'll see them at school tomorrow."

New people in Forks, Washington. It wasn't heard of. No one ever came to Forks; it was too small, too rainy, too boring. I was curious about these newcomers. Maybe I would get to run into them.

* * *

**A/N:** I know, I know... it took me forever to update this! I'm soooo sorry! I didn't mean to abandon this. I could never! School has just been... ugh. I haven't had the time to sit down and write this out lately, nor have I had the inspiration. I've had writer's block since September. Horrible, I know. That isn't an excuse, and I'm terribly sorry. I'll try to update more often, and to make up for it, I made this chapter a bit longer. Hopefully it keeps you interested as well. (:

On a side note: who's seen the movie? I've seen it three times already. I went to the midnight showing, and then twice after that. I loved it! Care to share your thoughts on it?

Review and be happy!

_Psychotic Female of Many Names_

_11.22.08_


	4. Chapter 4

**Childhood Innocence**

_by Psychotic_

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

* * *

I had just gotten home and was lounging on our chaise, reading a book, when the door burst open and Alice rushed inside, closing it behind her. "Esme!" she exclaimed. "The new kids! Edward and Emmett are bringing them over! I had a vision of it!"

I was instantly up and heading to the kitchen. "What?!" I asked, panicking. I didn't have anything made, I hadn't cleaned the house, the dishes weren't done...

Alice nodded. "Yeah! I haven't met them yet because I don't have any classes with either of them and I had to take a test during lunch today, but I the vision... The boy is him! The one I've been waiting for!" She was positively beaming.

I smiled at her. I was happy for her. Hugging her tightly, I said, "Congratulations, Alice. Are you sure, though?"

"Absolutely." She was firm and positive.

It took only a moment for the panic to set in again and I fluttered around the kitchen, putting things away, pulling things out. I had the table set with plates and various snacks in only a few minutes. Alice was doing the dishes for me; I hadn't asked, but she knew me well enough to know what I needed.

I hurried out into the living room and did a quick dusting and cleaning, putting things back where they were supposed to be.

I had just finished setting out the cups and drinks and Alice was drying her hands when I heard the door open. Alice and I looked at each other, her eyes shining in excitement, and then went into the hall.

"Mom!" Emmett greeted me, pulling me into a bear hug. "Oh, Alice came to tell you. Poo, she ruined my fun." He pouted.

Alice giggled. "I skipped my last hour to help Esme out. She needed it."

Edward came in then, followed by two tall beautiful blonde teens. The female was lovely, just as Alice had said; she had flowing long hair and endless legs. She was smiling in a friendly way, though, and seemed nice. The male was taller than his sister and was lean and muscled. He wasn't as bulky as Emmett, but was bigger than Edward. Both had the most beautiful blue eyes.

"Mom, this is Rosalie," Edward said, gesturing to the female. She smiled politely and shook my hand.

"It's wonderful to meet you, Rosalie," I said sincerely.

"And this is Jasper."

Jasper stepped forward and bowed his head in greeting, taking my hand and kissing it. "It's a pleasure, ma'am," he said, a light Southern accent apparent in his voice.

"The pleasure is mine," I told him, smiling. He was such a gentleman! "Come into the kitchen. I have snacks for everyone." I was about to lead them into the other room when I saw Alice approach Jasper.

"You've kept me waiting a long time," she said to him, almost scoldingly.

He bowed his head. "I'm sorry, ma'am," he said. Alice just grinned and took his hand in hers, pulling him into the kitchen.

"I'm Alice Brandon," she told him happily.

"Jasper Cullen," he replied, his eyes lighting up. Alice seemed to make him happy.

His last name caught my attention, however. I paused in shock. Cullen was a rather common last name... Of course it was. It had to be just a coincidence. Carlisle wouldn't have come back to dull old Forks...

"Mom? Are you okay?"

I was shaken out of my thoughts by Edward calling my name in concern. "Yes, yes, I'm fine. Um, Jasper? Did you say your last name is Cullen?"

"Yes, ma'am," he said.

"Please, it's Esme. Who did you come here with? Your parents?"

Jasper sat down at the table when he was pulled down by Alice. She kept her hand in his even when they were sitting. The rest of the children sat as well. "Rosalie and I came with our father," he said. "It's been awhile since I've seen him and my sister, though. I was living in Georgia with some relatives. I got news that they were moving and decided to go with them."

Rosalie spoke up then. "Yeah, that's why he's got that accent. I like to make fun of him for it." She gave Jasper a playful look.

Alice squeezed his hand. "I like your accent, Jasper," she said sweetly. Jasper beamed.

I offered them all something to drink and then told them to take whatever struck their fancy from the table. In moments, their plates were filled and the food in the center was half-gone.

"Are you two twins?"

"Yes, we are," Rosalie said, taking a sip of her water. "Sometimes it doesn't seem like it, though, because Jasper's got an accent and is a bit tanner than I am."

"I like to work in the sun," he explained.

"Forks must be a pain for you, then," I said with a smile. "We get little to no sun here. It's the rainiest town in the continental US."

The two shrugged, their mouths full. They had good manners. "Why did you move up here?" I asked after a moment of silence.

"Our dad got offered a position at the hospital here," Rosalie said. "It doesn't pay as well as his last job, but he said that he would much rather help the minor injuries of the people of a small town than work with the excitement of daily surgeries."

"So he's a doctor?"

"Yeah."

"What's his name?" I had turned around to clean up some of the dishes and put a few things away and wasn't facing them anymore.

"Carlisle Cullen."

My eyes widened. Carlisle was here? He was back? He had returned to Forks? My mind was so focused on the fact that he'd come back -- just like he'd promised -- that I didn't even notice that I'd dropped the plate I was holding and it had shattered on the tile. I didn't hear the voices of my children calling me. I was completely centered on Carlisle.

He had returned. He had kept his promise.

My breath came out in a whoosh and I felt my legs collapse. I felt a pair of large arms catch me. I looked up, my eyes still a bit cloudy, into the face of my son Emmett.

"Mom?!" he asked, horribly worried. "Are you okay?! What's wrong?!"

I blinked a few times and stood up shakily, gaining my balance. I laughed breathlessly. "I... I'm fine, Emmett. I'm... perfectly fine." I laughed again and grabbed the broom and dustpan. I had to get the remains of the plate cleaned up.

"What was that then?" Edward asked, helping me by holding the dustpan.

I finished sweeping the shards into the dustpan and Edward threw it them out. "Just... well, Carlisle..." I couldn't even form a coherent sentence. I sighed. "Sit back down. I'm fine. I'll tell you. Keep eating."

They did as I'd told them to. Jasper had stood up in alarm when the plate had fallen, as had Alice. Alice had apparently gotten me a glass of water and was handing it to me. I thanked her and took a refreshing sip. Once everyone was sitting, I leaned back against the counter and set my glass down.

"When the boys were four," I explained, "we met a family at a park here in Forks. They had found a couple playmates on the playground and I had met the father. They had no mother, just as Edward and Emmett had no father. We decided that we would get the children together sometime for a playdate. The first time I brought them over, there were two other kids there, also four. The children all became great friends and we continued to plan days when they could play.

"It wasn't long, though, before one of the little girl's parents got a divorce and the mother and daughter moved to Arizona. Then the father I'd met at the park got offered a job on the east coast and moved with his twins there. He promised me that he would come back, and it's now been twelve years since then."

I paused, and was about to speak again when Emmett asked, "Edward and I already know that story, Mom! What's that got to do with your freak-out?"

I gave him a look. "Emmett. I was getting to that." He looked away apologetically. "The children that my boys had become friends with at the park that day were named Rosalie and Jasper. Their father was Carlisle Cullen. One of the other kids at that first playdate was Alice Brandon."

Rosalie and Jasper stared at me in surprise. It took a moment for Jasper to speak up. "You're the Esme that Dad always talks about? Esme Platt?"

This made my heart swell. Carlisle talked about me? "I... I suppose I am," I said happily. "I had no idea that he talked about me, let alone still remembered me."

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Everything he does revolves around you. What would Esme think of this, if I do this will it get me closer to Esme, would Esme approve..." She trailed off. "It kind of gets annoying."

"I'm sorry," I said sheepishly. "I had no idea."

"It's alright," Jasper stated. "It's not your fault. Rosalie just enjoys complaining." He glared at his sister, who stuck her tongue out at him.

I laughed. "Wow, you two have grown up so much," I said. "It's so great to see you again. I can't believe that you came back... that Carlisle came back..."

"Would you like to see him?"

My eyes were instantly on Jasper, who was smiling. "He's just down at the hospital. I doubt he's busy."

It was only minutes before I was in my car, driving away.

* * *

**A/N:** So I'm feeling a major spurt of inspiration and wrote the fourth chapter. Yay for me! :D

Hopefully I'll be able to write the fifth one soon.

_Psychotic Female of Many Names_

_11.26.08_


	5. Chapter 5

**Childhood Innocence**

_by Psychotic_

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

* * *

I arrived at the hospital in less than ten minutes. I was excited, but had driven safely. Both of my sons liked speed, and I had to admit that I did, too, but I was also very safety-conscious.

The automatic doors opened to let me in and I went to the front desk. "Hello, Laura," I greeted the receptionist. She was a good friend of mine and was in my book club.

"Oh, Esme!" she said with a smile. "Great to see you!"

I reflected her smile. "You, too. I was wondering if the new doctor is in. Dr. Cullen?"

Laura wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "Oh, are you one of his new fangirls, too, Esme? I have to admit, he is gorgeous."

I laughed. "Laura! You're married!"

"And happily so. But I can still look!" This caused us both to burst into giggles. "He is here, though. I don't think he's busy. He should be back in his office. Just because you're special, I'll let you in. Fourth door on the left, down that hall right there." She pointed.

I thanked her and headed in the direction she'd indicated. When I got to the closed mahogany door, I paused. There was already a nameplate on the door, stating, "Dr. Carlisle Cullen, Surgeon and Pediatrictian."

Wow. So accomplished. I took a deep breath before knocking lightly.

There was some rustling behind the door before a smooth, honey voice called, "Come in!" Oh, I would recognize that voice anywhere. It was so beautiful. It was also ingrained into my mind.

I slowly opened the door and stepped inside, closing it behind me. He was looking down at some paperwork in front of him. There were a couple small boxes around him, but most of his things were already unpacked. His taste in decoration wasn't any better. I almost laughed, but was cut off by him looking up at me.

His blue eyes still held the same depth and compassion they always had. His hair had gotten a bit lighter -- probably the sun -- and his skin tanner. He still was gorgeous enough to be a movie star.

"Can I help you?" he asked politely.

Of course. He must not recognize me. I had matured a bit, had a few wrinkles on my face from motherhood. I had pulled my curls up into a braided bun in the back of my head. I also had gotten small, rectangular glasses.

I fiddled with the long skirt I was wearing, looking at my feet. I should've gotten changed before I'd left the house. I looked back up into his eyes. "Yes, I suppose you can," I said quietly. I sat down in the chair in front of his desk. "I was coming to introduce myself. Your children came over to my house today after school. Rosalie and Jasper Cullen? They're wonderful. My boys, Edward and Emmett, seemed to have made good friends with them. And our friend, little Alice, seems to be very attached to Jasper." I laughed.

Carlisle smiled. "Oh, well, that's great! I'm Carlisle Cullen. I apologize for any trouble my kids might cause. They can be pretty mischievous when they want to be, but they have good manners for the most part."

"Yes, Jasper's such a gentleman," I told him. "I'm Esme." I saw his eyes widen a fraction in alarm. "Esme Platt."

I enjoyed watching his reaction to hearing my name. His face went slack in shock before completely lighting up. His eyes brightened and color came to his cheeks. He grinned, showing his amazingly white teeth. "Esme," he said. He stood up and came over, kneeling in front of my chair. "Esme. It's you. It's really you. I wasn't sure if you'd left Forks or not... but I had to return. I had to keep my promise..."

I put my hand on his arm. "I never left Forks. I've stayed right here the entire time. I didn't think you'd come back to this dull old town, though."

"It could never be dull with you here, Esme," Carlisle said. "I'm right here. I always have been."

Those words brought tears to my eyes. It reminded me of the first night we'd met. I had been upset, and a stranger had come and comforted me. He had allowed me to cry against his chest even though he didn't even know my name. I had been completely alone then, taking care of my dead sister's twins, no one to lean on. I had to be strong for my boys, but there wasn't any need to be strong for Carlisle.

As soon as he saw the tears in my eyes, he wrapped his arms around me tightly and I began to sob into his shoulder. He'd been there for me since the first time we'd met, and he wasn't going away. He had always been there for me. It wasn't until now that I realized it, though.

* * *

Carlisle and I spent a little over half an hour in his office catching up once I'd calmed down. I told him about my new job, he told me about life in Virginia. We were in the middle of talking about our children when there was a knock on Carlisle's door.

"Come in," he said.

Laura came in then and smiled suggestively at me before saying to Carlisle, "There's a patient here to see you, Dr. Cullen. I apologize if I was interrupting anything." Her eyes were flashing with mischief.

Carlisle stood up, as did I. "Of course. You weren't interrupting anything, Laura. It's alright. What room did you put them in?"

"Room three."

The doctor nodded and then turned to me as Laura left the office. "I'll talk to you later," he promised.

"Just come over when you're off work. Here's my address." I wrote it down and handed the Post-It note to him. "I'll keep Jasper and Rosalie over."

Carlisle smiled and nodded. "I'll be over as soon as I can." He put on his lab coat and then left the office, glancing back at me one more time before he was out of sight.

I sighed and picked up my purse, walking out of the office. I passed Laura at the reception desk and waved as I headed out to my car. I quickly drove back to the house and was greeted by the kids in the living room.

"Mom!" Emmett exclaimed, jumping up. "How'd it go?"

I smiled at my son, who was right in front of me as I took off my shoes. "It went really well, Emmett." I told him. "Carlisle's coming over when he's done at the hospital."

Emmett grinned and went over to Rosalie, picking her up and swinging her around excitedly. She yelped and then screamed at him to put her down. "You big brute!" she shouted.

Jasper was doing his best to laugh. I noticed that Alice was sitting as close to him as she could get, her hand still clasped in his. It was a huge contrast, the tiny pale pixie and the huge tall man.

Edward was sitting alone at his piano, his fingers resting on the keys, but not playing anything. I sat down next to him quietly while the others entertained each other.

"Hey, Mom," he said, sounding a bit sad.

I wrapped an arm around his shoulder comfortingly. "Are you alright? It doesn't seem like it."

He looked up at me, smiling. It didn't reach his eyes. "I'm fine, Mom. Really." He shrugged my arm off and went upstairs, probably to his room. He was lonely, I could tell. He used to hang out with Emmett and Alice all the time, but now that the two of them had someone...

I sighed and stood up, heading into the kitchen. Time to get started on dinner.

* * *

**A/N: **I know; it's short. I want the next chapter to be the dinner, though. I also feel like crap and my inspiration for this story is dying down... :P I'm going to keep writing, though! Hopefully update more often than I did before... haha.

Review and be happy!

_Psychotic Female of Many Names_

_12.02.08_


	6. Chapter 6

**Childhood Innocence**

_by Psychotic_

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

* * *

I had just finished making all of the food. There was going to be seven of us tonight, and I had to make quite a bit of it. I made a huge batch of spaghetti, caesar salad as an appetizer, and an amazing chocolate cake from an old recipe of my mother's.

Alice had come in and was helping me set the table. We had just finished setting the last place – at the head of the table, for Carlisle – when the doorbell rang. I heard Emmett yell and run down the stairs – rather loudly – and Rosalie call after him. Then there was a loud bang and a crash.

I heard Jasper's voice exclaim, "What happened?!"

With a sigh, I left the kitchen to see what the commotion was. Rosalie had apparently run after Emmett when he hurried off, and then he tripped, Rosalie falling on top of him, and the two tumbled down the stairs. I found both on the floor, next to a tipped-over end table, laughing hysterically.

"Well," I stated. "This is certainly a sight." Neither paid any attention to me, and I just went over and righted the table again.

While I was doing that, Alice had gone to get the door. She threw it open with a grin and greeted our guest. "Hello, Carlisle! It's nice to meet you! Or see you again, I suppose. You're going to be my father-in-law."

Carlisle looked a bit surprised by the sudden onslaught of words from the hyper pixie. I pushed Alice carefully away, telling her to go see Jasper. She instantly consented, skipping off to the young man. Jasper was, luckily, not afraid or put off by her words; she had already told him that he was her soul mate and that they were going to be married one day. He had just smiled and agreed.

He already knew how to deal with her. Good for him.

"I'm so sorry about that, Carlisle," I said, taking his coat and hanging it in the hall closet. "Please, come in. Alice is a bit… overly enthusiastic sometimes."

He laughed. "It's alright. She always has been. I'm glad she hasn't changed. Does she still have those odd visions?"

"Yes, she does. She's already told Jasper that they're going to get married someday."

Carlisle just chuckled again, following me into the kitchen. He took a deep breath when we entered, his eyes closing. "It smells amazing in here, Esme. What did you make?"

I blushed lightly and looked down. "It's just spaghetti, caesar salad, and chocolate cake. Oh!" I spun around and grabbed the oven mitt, opening the oven and taking out the cake – just in time. I sighed as I set it down on the stovetop to cool.

"That looks wonderful. Is it homemade?"

I nodded. "Yes, it's an old recipe of my mother's. She died of cancer a long time ago, and my sister and I split the recipes. When my sister died, I got all of them. The entire cupboard above the stove is filled with them. My mother loved to cook."

Carlisle looked up at the cupboard I had gestured to and nodded. "I see. How wonderful. Your mother must have been an amazing woman."

"She was."

"You take after her."

I gaped at him for only a moment before blushing again and turning away. "Well, um. Thank you."

It was silent in the kitchen for a few more moments, and then I broke it by shouting, "Kids! Come on down. Dinner time!"

There was a rush of footsteps – probably Alice and Emmett. They always raced down to the table when I called them. I saw Alice slide into the kitchen in her tights, stopping herself by grabbing the island. Emmett bounded in after her, grabbing her up.

"Cheating little pixie!" he accused, tickling her mercilessly.

Alice giggled uncontrollably, squirming in his arms. "N-No! Emmett, stop! Uncle, uncle!"

I was about to go over and break it up when Rosalie came in, followed by Jasper. "Put down my girlfriend," Jasper said firmly.

Emmett pouted and stuck out his tongue, put out, before setting the tiny girl down, who ran into Jasper's arms. The tan Georgian picked her up in a hug then carried her over to the table, setting her down where she indicated her spot was.

"Girlfriend already, Jasper?" I heard Carlisle ask, amused.

Jasper looked up at his father. "I-Is that okay…? It's what I want, Dad."

Carlisle nodded, rolling his eyes. "I was just a bit shocked. You two just really got to know each other today."

"We're soul mates, Carlisle," was what Alice said. And that was that.

Rosalie was comforting Emmett as best as she could without bursting into laughter. She led him over to his seat and then sat next to him. I gestured for Carlisle to sit at the head, next to Jasper and the empty spot – Edward's spot. I looked around. Where was Edward?

"Edward!" I called. "Are you coming?"

There was no answer, but a few moments later, he came into the kitchen. His hair was wet, like he'd just showered. "Oh, there you are!" I said. "Sit down next to your brother." He did as he was told, silently sitting down.

"Hello, Edward," Carlisle greeted.

Edward looked up at him and smiled. "Hey, Carlisle. It's nice to meet you. Or see you again. Whatever. I don't remember you very well. I kind of remember once playing Monopoly with you, though. For some reason, it was just us."

I laughed. "Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, and Alice were all playing off on together. Your little play buddy was sick with the chicken pox. So Carlisle sat down and played with you while I made macaroni and cheese."

"You remember that?" Edward asked, slightly incredulous.

I shrugged. "Of course I do. It was a very good memory, very cute. You and Carlisle argued over the stupidest things, and you were right a lot of the time. It was hilarious. You've always been very smart, Edward."

My son flushed, almost unnoticeably, and looked down at his plate. I brought over the spaghetti and salad. "There's caesar salad for anyone who wants it. If you don't, just go ahead and grab some spaghetti. Once everyone's done, I'll bring over the cake." I also took the milk and water containers from the fridge, setting them out. "Help yourselves."

Everyone began to dish out what they wanted. The only people who didn't have caesar salad were Jasper and Emmett; I knew Emmett didn't like it, but now I knew Jasper didn't either.

Conversation was easy. I talked to Rosalie, getting to know more about her and her brother. She told me how school was on the east coast, all about her friends, how she liked here much more. I kept glancing back at Carlisle periodically, and noticed that he was chatting with Edward. For once today, Edward looked happy. He and Carlisle had always had a good bond; I was glad they were reawakening it.

It was almost an hour before everyone was done with the main course. The boys were the ones who held up the cake, taking seconds and thirds and even fourths for a couple of them. I took away the plates – with the girls' help – and set out new, smaller dessert plates. I then set the cake on the table and cut it, serving it piece by piece.

The dessert was a hit, and I was glad. I had never made it before, but it was definitely good. My mother had been brilliant with making recipes.

Carlisle looked up at the clock on the wall and sighed. "I'm so sorry, Esme, but it's already almost midnight, and the kids do have school tomorrow. We need to get going."

Had it really been that long?! I looked up at the clock as well; he was right. "Oh, of course. I'm sorry for keeping you so late."

"Don't be. We all enjoyed it."

Jasper was in the process of picking up the dozing Alice and Rosalie was nudging a drooping Emmett. "Jasper, did Alice show you her room? She can just stay here tonight. I'll call her parents. They probably aren't home anyway." I liked her parents well enough, but they were never around. "You can go ahead and put her in there. Thank you for all your help with her."

He just nodded and carried the tiny pixie up the stairs. Emmett stumbled up after them and into his room, probably just to collapse on his bed. All of the children were morning people except for Edward. He was the one who enjoyed staying up late and sleeping in. He was still wide awake as he said goodbye to Carlisle and went upstairs to his own room.

I hugged Rosalie and Jasper and they walked outside, probably to go into their cars and head home. I looked up at Carlisle and smiled. "I'll see you later?" I asked.

He nodded with a matching grin and we hugged tightly. It was nice, and lasted for a minute too long, a minute too short. When we finally pulled away, I just waved as he grabbed his coat and left the house.

* * *

When I woke up the next morning, it felt like something was going to happen today. I was in a good mood, and even managed to get some cleaning done around the house before I left for Port Angeles to see a woman about designing her new home.

As I was on my way home, I still felt odd, like something was going to happen. It was already one o'clock, though, and most things happened in Forks in the morning. I suppose I would find out, wouldn't I?

It was two before I arrived back at the house. Edward's car was parked in the driveway and the garage door was open. Rosalie's car was gone. She must have gone to the Cullens', and had probably taken Emmett with her.

I walked inside quietly and heard the piano. It was beautiful piece, something I hadn't heard yet. It wasn't heartbreaking or sad, though; it was sweet and soft, like a lullaby. I walked over and saw Edward sitting at his bench, his eyes concentrated on the keys. He occasionally would stop playing to write down the notes and then would continue on with his song.

"Edward?" I questioned.

He looked up at me, a bit startled. "Mom," he said. After a moment, his entire face lit up in a wonderful smile. He stood up and came over to me. "Mom, I met the most amazing girl today."

Finally. My Edward had found someone.

* * *

**A/N:** Yay for updates! :D Haha. I just got a new laptop and figured I should update before the new year comes around. That might be nice. So here's your update! Hope you like it!

Review and be happy!

_Psychotic Female of Many Names_

_12.29.2008_


	7. Chapter 7

**Childhood Innocence**

_by Psychotic_

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

* * *

Edward told me all about the girl he'd met. In his words, she was a gorgeous brunette, with the deepest, most powerful brown eyes. She was shy, but it was endearing, and she was always blushing. She was modest, too; she hated when people talked about her and her accomplishments.

He refused to tell me her name, though.

"Edward, you learned all of this about her just today?" I asked, surprised.

My son looked a bit sheepish. "Well, most of it was just from watching her… I introduced myself to her, so we have met, but… we didn't talk much."

I rolled my eyes a bit and smiled at him. "You are so silly, Edward." I ruffled his hair affectionately, and he just continued to beam at me. "I'm happy for you." I hugged him tightly, and he wrapped his arms around me in return.

"I'm happy, too."

* * *

It was only a couple more days until he invited her over. I had planned a small party at the house for that coming Saturday night. It would only be me, Edward, Emmett, Alice, Rosalie, Jasper, Carlisle, and Edward's mystery girl. He still withheld her name from all of us.

Alice spent nearly every day with Jasper, whether it was at our house, her house, or his. They had become very attached in such a sort amount of time. Rosalie and Emmett were the same way; they touched more than Alice and Jasper did, though. They were always holding hands, his arms around her waist, hugging, kissing, arms around shoulders…

"Alice! I need some help with the dessert!" I called from the kitchen. It was going to be a fruit pizza. I needed her to spread the pudding on the big cookie for me.

Instead of Alice's voice, I heard a man say, "I can help." I spun around to see my beautiful Carlisle in the doorway.

"Oh! Carlisle! Of course! Thank you for offering." I smiled happily. I always felt better, more relaxed, when he was around. I told him what to do, and he went over to spread the vanilla pudding.

We worked in silence more a few moments before I heard him say, "Esme, turn around." His voice was closer than I had expected it to be. I turned my body, and suddenly I had pudding on my nose and mouth. I gaped, staring at the hysterical Carlisle.

"Oh, you are in for it," I exclaimed, grinning playfully. I picked up a spatula that was covered in sugar water and wet strawberry pieces and wiped it across his face, smearing his cheek and lips, coating both a deep red.

He froze, and I burst into giggles. He then lunged at me, and I screamed, running away from him. We chased each other around the kitchen for another minute or so before I tripped on some sugar water on the floor. Carlisle reached out to catch me, and I ended up on my back with him on top of me, our faces only inches apart.

Neither of us moved. It was silent in the kitchen.

Then he leaned down and his lips met mine.

It was instant ecstasy. He tasted like sugared strawberries and something else, something completely him. I kissed him back, licking the fruit juice from his lips. He had already gotten to cleaning the pudding off of mine. I wasn't sure how long we were on the ground kissing, but he had to pull away to breathe at one point.

I stared up at him, my heart pounding furiously, my face feeling red. Carlisle had kissed me.

We were both frozen for a moment before he beamed and kissed me again.

This time when he pulled away, I smiled back.

We stopped kissing after the second one. He stood up and helped me off the floor. I wet a washcloth and wiped off his face, then he wiped off mine. I cleaned the floor and picked up the rest of the mess we'd made before finishing the fruit pizza.

Both of us had ecstatic grins on our faces the entire time.

Once dinner was done, Carlisle came over and took my hand in his. I looked up at him and smiled happily, but had to let go so that I could go into the living room to wait for the rest of our company. Rosalie was out shopping and would be here soon, as Carlisle had said. Alice and Jasper were already seated on the couch, curled around each other, a loving silence enveloping them. Edward was pacing anxiously by the door, which I had left open so Rosalie and our other guest could just walk right in.

"Edward, calm down. It'll be fine." I went over and pulled him into a hug, facing away from the door. It was at that moment that I heard someone come in and gasp.

I let go of my son and turned. There was a beautiful girl, looking just as Edward had described, a bit short, her face bright red. "Um, Edward? Who is this?"

"I'm Edward's mother, Esme Platt. It's wonderful to meet you." I grabbed her up in a hug.

She hesitantly hugged me back. "I'm Bella Swan. Nice to meet you, too."

I pulled away with wide eyes, and I heard Carlisle repeat her name. "Bella?" I asked. She nodded slowly. My expression turned to one of happiness. "Oh, Bella! Carlisle, it's Bella!"

Carlisle came over with an expression similar to mine and said, "Bella! You probably don't remember us." She obviously didn't by her shocked and slightly scared reaction. "We knew you and your parents when you were little. You and your mom moved out to Phoenix and I moved to the east coast after a couple years, though."

Bella's face lit up in recognition. "Oh! I've heard Mom talk about you before. She always talked about being good friends with a woman named Esme."

I smiled. "We were good friends. I was very sad when she moved away."

Carlisle grasped my hand and squeezed. I looked over at him and smiled reassuringly, giving his hand a small squeeze back. Alice's eyes zoned in on our hands, and Edward's narrowed.

"I'm so glad that it's you that Edward has been talking about non-stop," I told Bella. "You two were very close when you were little. You always played together; couldn't get enough of each other. It was cute."

Bella blushed furiously, and I giggled. Edward was right; she did blush a lot.

"Mom, please," Edward said, pulling Bella away from the door. "Here, let me show you around." He led her up the stairs and out of sight.

Alice instantly piped up. "Esme, what's up with you and Carlisle?"

I looked over at her, then at Carlisle, and smiled, embarrassed. "I'm not exactly sure, Alice."

"I would like for her to be my girlfriend if she'll have me, Alice."

I spun around to stare at Carlisle, my mouth open in surprise. "Really?" I asked. He nodded with a smile. I beamed and threw my arms around him. "I would love to be your girlfriend, Carlisle."

It was odd to have a boyfriend at my age, but what else could I call him? My friend? My date? None of them were very appropriate.

Alice squealed happily, clapping her hands together. "Yay! I've been seeing this coming for weeks! I'm so excited that it finally happened! Wait until Emmett and Rosalie find out!"

I sighed. I wondered how the rest of the children would react.

* * *

Rosalie was a bit miffed. She was worried that because Carlisle and I had gotten together, that meant that her and Emmett couldn't be together. I immediately corrected that for her, saying that if Carlisle and I got married, they would all be eighteen, and he wouldn't legally become Edward and Emmett's father, nor would I become Rosalie and Jasper's mother. Also, Edward and Emmett weren't my biological children. It wouldn't matter even if they were, as they would only be step-siblings, not related at all.

This seemed to calm her down. She accepted our relationship and gave us her congratulations.

Emmett was absolutely exuberant. He was grinning and making jokes about us. I knew that meant that he accepted us being together, and was grateful.

We ate dinner with happy conversation. I watched Edward and Bella almost the entire time, noticing how his eyes lit up and how much more animated he was around her. It made me ecstatic to see my son so content for once. Bella didn't seem to notice the change as she hadn't known what he'd been like before, but it was obvious that she liked him as well by the blushes she got whenever they accidentally brushed and the small smiles and willingness to move closer to him when he scooted their chairs together.

Before long, it was time for everyone to be leaving. Rosalie and Jasper left first, followed soon by Bella. Carlisle stayed behind for a few moments to give me some last minute kisses and embraces.

I reluctantly let go of him in front of the door. He kissed my forehead lovingly and gave me one last squeeze before leaving the house with a wave and a happy smile.

I leaned against the doorframe with a sigh as I watched him go. I wanted to marry that man.

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**A/N:** I am so sorry this took so long! I feel really bad. D: If it's any consolation, I went on vacation to Vegas and wrote most of this while I was gone. You'd better love me! Haha, just kidding.

Review and be happy! (:

_Psychotic Female of Many Names_

_04.08.09_


	8. Chapter 8

**Childhood Innocence**

_by Psychotic_

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Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

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The day was fading into the night, darkening the sky into a range of purples and pinks. It was gorgeous, I decided, leaning back in my chair on the porch.

I wasn't upset that I didn't have any biological children of my own anymore. Why should I be? I had Edward and Emmett, and now Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and Bella. They were my children; they always would be. I didn't need them to have my genes and DNA. I had raised my boys as their mother and them as my children, so that's what I was to them and they were to me.

A little girl ran around in the grass in front of me, rolling around playfully with a golden retriever puppy that had cleverly been named Doggy. She had chosen the name herself. I still missed that innocence of childhood, when you had nothing to worry about, and your world was as big as your street. You could do silly things and not be reprimanded for them or looked at oddly; you were a child, it was expected.

There was no need for me to yearn for it as I had, though. If I was a child, I would never have gone through the life I have.

"Gramma, Gramma! Lookit what Doggy can do!"

I looked over at little Renesmee as she called for me, watching the puppy roll over when she twirled her hand. I beamed and clapped ecstatically. "That's wonderful, Nessie! How did you get him to do that?"

She bounded over and climbed into my lap. "Daddy taught 'im."

I nodded; of course. I felt arms around me then and I looked up to see Carlisle's bright eyes smiling down at me. I replied with a loving kiss.

"Ew!" Nessie exclaimed, jumping off my lap and running off with a barking Doggy.

"Hello, dearest," he said softly, kissing my cheek.

"I was wondering where you were."

He smiled a little. "I'm right here, Esme."

It didn't matter what the context was, those words always sent a thrill through me. With those words, I knew he loved me and was always there for me. I didn't need him to say "I love you" to me in order to know he cared. "I know you are," I whispered, and kissed him again.

"Mom! What are you doing?!"

I rolled my eyes and looked over at Edward, who had his daughter gathered up in his arms. They looked so much alike, and she was such a daddy's girl. It was adorable. "I am kissing my husband, Edward," I told him matter-of-factly. "I should be able to do that in my own home, especially when it was just an innocent peck. Your daughter sees those all the time in her Disney movies."

Edward glared at me and proceeded to bring his daughter inside, the puppy hurrying after them. I just smiled and patted the chair next to me for Carlisle to sit down. He did so, grasping my hand in his tightly. I squeezed it and he squeezed back.

He was right here with me.

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Coughing erupted in me, causing my lungs and throat to burn. I held a frail hand to my chest to try and settle it. Bella was gazing at me in worry. I smiled weakly at her in reassurance.

The doctor stepped in just then. "Hello, Mrs. Cullen," he greeted in a warm voice.

"Hello, doctor."

He came to stand by my bed. "I hear you want to go home for the end of it."

I nodded. "Yes, doctor, I do. I figure that there's nothing else we can do, and everything's as fine there as it is here."

After a few more words, I got him to agree to let me go home. I wanted to jump up and down in happiness, but I knew my body couldn't take it. Bella and the doctor helped me into a wheelchair and Emmett came in and wheeled me out to the car where I found Carlisle waiting for me.

Edward was driving, with Emmett in the passenger's seat, and Carlisle sat in the back with me. We held hands the entire time. Carlisle stroked the back of mine.

We arrived home soon. I was glad to be back. The boys helped me from the car and into our first floor bedroom. We couldn't take the stairs anymore. Rosalie, Jasper, Alice, and Bella followed my boys and we sat around talking for hours. It was nice, and I found myself laughing despite the pain it caused me.

It grew dark too soon, though, and everyone left. I was alone in the bedroom with Carlisle, and we laid on the bed together. He held me in his arms, our hands clasped over my bony hip. He kissed my dry lips and whispered to me. I fell asleep.

The nightmare that woke me up was forgotten as soon as I opened my eyes. Carlisle was still there, and he was reassuring me. I felt weaker than before, and my eyes were drooping. I knew this was it.

"Don't worry, Esme," he murmured lovingly. "I'll always be with you. I'm right here."

And as I drifted off, I knew he was.

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The tombstones were placed right next to each other. Each simply had the names "Carlisle Cullen" and "Esme Cullen" carved into it, along with the dates of births and deaths. The eulogy was a touching speech that told of how beloved Esme had died from cancer in her sleep as Carlisle held her. Carlisle soon followed, chasing after his love. They were both elderly and lived great lives, full of love and happiness. The eulogy was given by Edward Cullen, the son of Esme.

In honor of their parents, each of the children had a piece of wood carved into a simple saying: "I'm right here." It had always been something that represented the couple, and they lived their lives by it.

The night after the funeral, Edward laid in bed, staring up at ceiling. Bella was softly snoring next to him. He was finally able to close his eyes, and just as he was falling asleep, he heard someone whisper, "I'm right here."

Edward whispered back, "I know."

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**A/N:** Okay, please don't cry. God knows I did when I was writing this. It was so hard to write, but I needed to write it, I wanted to. Yes, they both died together in each other's arms, and yes, this is the last chapter. It has been wonderful with you guys, and I love you all so much. Keep an eye out for a new story, because I have an idea in my head. ;)

Review and be happy!

_Psychotic Female of Many Names_

_06.11.09_


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